Tag: printing

Pencil drawings of Perfection!

UK: “Bewick’s British Birds” – a Classic Masterpiece! (26.5.2026)

Bewick was the son of a farmer from Tyneside (New Castle-Upon-Tyne) yet he became one of Britain’s greatest and most popular engravers of his time – a true master. His farming parents were wealthy enough to have their son educated (instead of working from an early age) so he was fully literate. As he was not properly middle-class (perhaps a well-off peasant-farmer) he did not attend University, but instead became and Engraving Apprentice at Ralph Beilby’s engraving business at aged 14. This apprenticeship lasted seven-years – permitting him to master every aspect of this trade. Indeed, he became an expert in “woodcut printing” which can be dated back to the 1440 printing-press of Johannes Gutenberg. His masterpiece featured here was first published on October 14th, 1797 – although I think later editions were enlarged and improved. We were lucky in that the cover price is £12.99 – but this copy was on sale for just £4.99!

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Area Station Manager Mian Sarwar presents Steve with a plaque Credit: ITV Meridian

England: Worker “Steve McCulloch” Ends 52-Years Commutting on Same Train-Route! (12.5.2026)

Over the years he’s collected snapshots of his journey – and he’s certainly had some memorable moments.

“In the days of slam-doors stock I was sitting at the end of the train at Slough and we moved away and somebody came running up the side and through the door and tried to climb in but stumbled. I had to grab them and pull them in,” he said.

Train travel has changed significantly since the 1970s with more electrification, the introduction of high speed trains, and digital signalling.

Mian Sarwar, the Station Manager for GWR, Slough and Maidenhead area, said: “Steve’s been travelling with us for over 50 years and to acknowledge his travelling and his loyalty with us, it was important to acknowledge him and mark this occasion very well. ”

Steve says he has plans for his retirement. He wants to travel further and has been invited to go to India, but he also hopes to explore the UK more… by train of course.

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China: Socialist Science to 3D Print Structures on Moon! (24.4.2023)

After Chang’e 6, the Chang’e 7 robotic probe will be sent to land on the moon’s South Pole to perform “high-precision investigations”, Wu said.

“The Chang’e 7 mission is meant to look for traces of water on the South Pole, investigate the environment and weather there, and survey the landform. The probe will carry a ‘flyby craft’ tasked with flying into pits on the lunar surface to look for ice,” the scientist said.

“Chang’e 7 will also be tasked with detecting the natural resources beneath the lunar South Pole’s surface. Mission planners are trying to assess if we can use the probe to dig into the surface and study underground structures and their composition,” he said.

In the long run, scientists will use components of the three upcoming missions — the orbiters, landers, rovers and sensors — to form the prototype of a robotic scientific outpost, which will act as a platform for international collaboration on lunar exploration, he added.

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